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ACT Articles

On Monday, the AMA (ACT) made a public call for an independent inquiry into workplace culture and bullying in the ACT Healthcare system. In our view, an independent inquiry is needed as a circuit breaker for the almost non-stop series of crises and complaints that have been coming out of the...

The peak body for doctors in the ACT has called for the territory equivalent of a royal commission into the workplace culture of Canberra's health system, citing a "litany of missteps, maladministration, bullying complaints" over the past year.Australian Medical Association ACT president Dr Antonio...

Ms Caroline Le Couteur, an ACT Greens MLA, has put forward a private members bill to reform abortion law in the ACT. The Health (Improving Abortion Access) Amendment Bill 2018 is due to be debated by the ACT Legislative Assembly in September 2018.In essence, the bill aims to make changes including:...

You have been treating a married couple and their three children for several years, when suddenly the marriage becomes acrimonious and the couple file for divorce. Next thing you know, the father is demanding access to one of the children’s medical records. However, when pressed, he admits that he’...

For most Canberrans the drive up to Sydney is a familiar journey. Along the way you pass a couple major attractions (think Gungahlin and Goulburn) but by the time you pass the McDonald’s at Sutton Forest most of us are asking ourselves, “Are we there yet?” Sadly you’re not, you still have about...

“Pelvic devices developed in Australia from the 1980s and 1990s are at the centre of a global medical scandal that includes regulatory failure, and allegations of research fraud and experimental surgery on women in multiple countries.” Sydney Morning Herald, March 14, 2017 “The biggest medical...

Mental Health Front and CentreAMA (ACT) President, Prof Steve Robson and ACT Chair of the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, A/Prof Jeff Looi, have met with Mental Health Minister, Shane Rattenbury, to lay out their shared concerns about the state of the psychiatry workforce...

Me and you and ANU I have had the privilege of working with the ANU Medical School (ANUMS) since its first intake of students. The transition from the old Canberra Clinical School to the ANUMS went well and the standard of medical students we graduate is high. One of the major challenges of...

By Prof Steve Robson*Australia is one of the safest places in the world to have a baby, or to be born. There are certainly some inequalities – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women face higher risks of a preterm birth, for example – but all things considered Australia is a great place to...

Dr Kieran Barr is a RMO currently working in MAPU at Calvary Hospital. He is a graduate of ANU (Medicine & Surgery - 2015) and University of Melbourne (Biomedicine – 2010). Dr Barr once had the privilege of holding Roger Federer’s sweaty towel when he worked as a ballkid at the Australian Open...

Garry Walter* and Sarah Foster*What a fabulous article about doctors’ health by Dr Louise Stone (‘A GPs Open Letter to Young Doctors’) in last month’s issue of Canberra Doctor, imploring young doctors to have their own GP. That message resonates with a key piece of advice invariably given by the...

Health System Reform Needs Medical LeadershipProf Brendan Murphy* is the Chief Medical Officer for the Australian Government One of the reasons I took on the job of Chief Medical Officer and, before that, a Health Service CEO role, was a view that health system reform is critically dependent on...

Mental Health is EverythingAll of us who provide health care for Canberrans understand the fundamental importance of mental health to our community. In many ways, it underpins the wellbeing of society irrespective of all other issues. Illnesses and injuries – acute and chronic – take their course...

Prof Nick Glasgow, speaking at the ANUMSS Graduation Ball“To me, the great joy of general practice is getting to know a group of people over time and getting insight into their individual lives,” says Professor Nicholas Glasgow, general practitioner, researcher in the field of family medicine and,...

We often hear from Doctors in Training (DiTs) that applications for annual leave are often not approved because of insufficient cover OR the amount of leave requested is significantly reduced (again, because of insufficient cover). So the question is: in what circumstances can Canberra and Calvary...

Once upon a time in workplace not so far away, an administrator told a group of doctors that some of their colleagues were deliberately staying back late in order to “make money”.Did an administrator actually say this? Well, we hope it’s not true or somehow the statement was taken out of context....

By Dr Angus Finlay*Doctors have a proud history of standing against threats to human health: The medical profession played a key role in highlighting the risks to health posed by smoking and, at the height of the cold war, doctors advocated strongly against nuclear war.The Lancet has identified...

By Dr Rebeka Stepto*Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to attend the 2017 AMA National Conference in Melbourne. It was three days of panel discussions, political addresses and networking that ultimately came together to be a great weekend.Political leadersThe conference started off with a...

One of the main reasons Australia has our world class health system is the central role played by Family Doctors in patient care. More than 80% of Australians will see a General Practitioner at least once every year, and GPs are the most common point of contact when Australians become ill. The...

Dr Rashmi Sharma OAM and family For the second in our series of quick Q&As with doctors in the Canberra region we’ve asked Dr Rashmi Sharma OAM, leading local GP, Clinical Associate Professor at ANU Medical School, principal, along with her sister, of the Isabella Plains Medical Centre and AMA...